When Men and Women Act in Confusion...

This week, I want to look at one of the most controversial issues in our society. This issue sparks passionate debate, whether it is brought up at a kitchen table, a coffee shop, a classroom, or in a church. And this issue is the role of women in leadership. This issue brings heated debate in politics, as we saw with the candidacies of Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin. This issue can bring up heated debate in the workplace. However, I would like us to focus like a laser beam on the issue of women in leadership or authority as it applies to the local church.

The issue of the role of women in the church is one of the most hotly debated issues in all of Christianity. And in this hotly debated issue, there are two positions. The first position is called the egalitarian position. The egalitarian position believes that God created men and women equal in all respects and that they were given equal responsibility over the creation.

The second position is called the complimentarian position. The complimentarian position believes that men and women were created equal in dignity, value and worth, but with distinct roles in which men were given the responsibility of loving leadership and authority, and in which women were to offer willing, glad hearted, and submissive assistance to men.

When it comes to the role of women in the church, those who hold to the egalitarian position believe that women can serve and function in any leadership role in the church, whether it be pastor, elder, deacon, or teacher. Those who hold to the complimentarian position believe that while women can serve in ministry, women cannot hold any leadership position in the church. Some would go so far as to say that women cannot teach men in any environment.

So who is right? Are the egalitarians right? Or are the complimentarians right? And why are they right? What role do women have when it comes to serving and leading in the church? In a letter that a man named Paul wrote to a local church we see that this debate is not a new debate. This is a debate that has been raging for thousands of years. And I believe that this debate continues to rage in an incredibly emotional manner as a result of the confusion that occurs when we fail to differentiate between two fundamental components of our lives here on earth. So let’s look together at what the Apostle Paul had to say as he dealt with this timeless emotional debate, beginning in 1 Corinthians 11:2:

Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you. But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.

Paul begins this section of his letter to the church at Corinth by expressing his appreciation for their willingness to follow and pass on the teaching that he had communicated to them. Verse three with the word but, however, revealing the reality that they were not following and passing on all of what Paul had communicated to them. Paul then explains that his desire is that they grasp the meaning of the teaching that they were failing to follow or pass on: “I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ”.

Paul is reminding the members of the church at Corinth, and us here today that God has divinely designed His creation with different roles and responsibilities when it comes to authority and leadership. Paul then focuses on three specific relationships when it comes to authority and leadership in God’s divine design. First, we see that Christ is the head of every man. In other words, Paul is saying that Jesus Christ, as God in a bod, 100% human and 100% God, exercises a role of authority and leadership over all of humanity. Second, we see that the man is the head of the woman. In other words, Paul is saying that men are divinely designed to exercise a role of leadership and authority in relationship to women. Third, we see that God is the head of Christ. In other words, Paul is saying that God the Father exercises a role of leadership and authority over Christ.

Now you may be thinking, “Well Dave, I see and agree with Jesus having authority over humanity; but why would men have authority and leadership over women? And I really do not understand how God is the head of Christ?” If you find yourself here asking those questions, I just want you to know that they are great questions to be asking. The reason these questions often arise when we talk about leadership and authority is because we have a tendency to confuse value and roles.

For example, let’s look at Paul’s statement that God is the head of Christ. All three members of the trinity possess the same nature. God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are all equally divine in terms of their nature. Yet while every member of the trinity has the same nature, essence, and value, they have different roles, responsibilities, and authority. God the Father is the first among equals; God the Father exercises the leadership and authority role in the relationship amongst the Trinity. Jesus and the Holy Spirit, while equal in value and worth to God the Father, fall under and follow His leadership. We see Jesus do this throughout the gospels. And we see Paul talk about this reality throughout his letters that he wrote to various churches.

Another example is the twelve disciples. While there were twelve disciples, and all twelve were equal in their value and worth as disciples, Peter was the first amongst equals. Peter was the leader that the rest of the disciples followed in terms of leadership and authority. We see this throughout the book of Acts.

This same principle also applies to God’s design for relationships in humanity when it comes to men and women. We see the mutual value and worth of men and women revealed for us in Genesis 1:27:

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

And while men and women have equal value and worth in God’s creation, men and women have different roles and responsibilities to fulfill; men are to exercise a role of leadership and authority as first among equals by lovingly leading, providing, and protecting women in ways that are appropriate to their relationship. Women are to fulfill their role in relationships by lovingly coming under and following godly male leadership in a way that allows for growth in their relationship with Christ and to exercise the gifts that God has given them.

Yet while Paul had communicated this timeless truth to the members of the church at Corinth, the members of the church were not following or passing on this truth. Instead they were confusing value and roles. And in the same way, Christians act unchristian when men and women act in confusion. In 1 Corinthians 11:4-16, we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us three ways that Christians act unchristian when men and women act in confusion.

For the rest of this week, we will look at each of these three ways that Christians can act unchristian when men and women act in confusion. So are you acting in confusion? Are you confusing value and roles?